External information sharing

Internal and external information sharing, including marketing function initiatives such as promotions. 

The experience of those that suffer process safety incidents is invaluable information, and learning from the unfortunate experiences of others can help an organization select appropriate metrics. As companies learn from their incidents, they often share this knowledge with - other companies and industry peers. Companies should look for opportunities to tap into this external information source. 

ISS An information-sharing system that constructs a model of the information lying in different databases, builds gateways to each of them, and provides a single system image to external users who wish to access data from any of the constituent databases. 

Collaboration CGR Management Consultants defines it as joint planning and execution of supply chain activities. These activities can range from new product development to day-to-day operations. Collaboration includes all aspects of the relationship related to physical movement, information sharing, financial flows, and exchange of intellectual property. Collaboration is also defined as internal between people and functions and external between supply chain companies. The Supply-Chain Council defines collaboration as A relationship built on trust that is benchmarked by the commitment to the team objective and where consensus may not always be achievable but where nothing takes place without the commitment of all involved. ... 

AirCollab provides generic collaboration services based on its customized standard collaborative solution Microsoft Sharepoint. It enables turnkey collaboration with external partners and internal teams by using collaboration utilities like e-meeting and pre-defined templates for collaborative project management and information sharing. For the aftermarket it maintains a reference document library. 

Next to these considerations, further research should focus on the question, if cognitive closeness to customers facilitates the information exchange between employees and users, as suggested by Nooteboom (2000). From a theoretic point of view, embedded lead users should be able to both absorb external information (from users) and desorb internal information (to users) easier than non-user employees. The underlying reason is a shared cognition, but also shared norms and values which facilitate the transfer. 

Progressing to Level 3, we evaluate firms that understand there must be a customer focus driving the effort and external resources are necessary to build a definitive network. We investigate interactive information sharing and models impacting supplier and customer relationship management. 

Greater co-operation among producers could be developed. The World Wide Web has provided a model of sharing information based on very clear technical principles and formats, but with no formal bureaucracy or external control. Researchers using the Web can move easily among computers of many research institutions that are linked to the Internet. Perhaps the National Measurement Institutions that produce RM could make their instruments and laboratories just as open and available to researchers who are characterizing a new material (Rasberry 1998). 

Figure 6. Left Conventional control loops provide a localised interface between the real and the digital world. Sensors targeted at important control parameters feed information into digital control routines that can respond via actuators e.g. to maintain parameters within specified limits. Right A vital step on the route to the realisation of the concept of internet scale sensing is to adopt the principle that all analytical measurements should be capable of being internet-linked. The localised control of important parameters is maintained, but the information is shared via the internet with external users [4]. (Reprinted with permission from Anal. Chem., August 1, 2004, 75 (15), 278A-286A. Copyright 2004 American Chemical Society.)...

Corporate human resources should ensure conformity in standards across the businesses - for example, in employee evaluation processes, incentive plans, benefit plans, and training pohcies. As in other functions, aU operational tasks should be outsourced or operated as shared services at SBU level - for example, payroll, human resources information systems, a database on internal job opportunities, or the administration of benefit plans. The center should be active in developing top talent across the businesses, and it should run the goldfish pool for internal top talent and the company s program for recmiting experienced persoimel. This responsibility also includes the early identification of skills needed by the entire organization, for example, e-commerce skills to kick-start new businesses. The center must also act as a repository of expertise on internal and external best practices in talent management... 

Use shared external learnings to determine what others have successfully used. Information sources mentioned in Section 4.5.2 are excellent resources for information, such as incident investigation learnings and successful use of various metrics. 

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